Sheikh marriages: Arab national performed two marriages on a single day

October 7, 2017, 7:41 PM IST

Hyderabad: Investigations are continued on brisk pace in connection with the minor girls’ marriages with elderly Arab nationals. In the latest move, police simultaneously conducted raid in the offices of qazis of Mumbai and Hyderabad. The probe made several shocking revelations including an Omani national performing marriage with two girls on a single day.

The Hyderabad police probing the ‘child bride racket’ raided the office of tainted qazi Fareed Ahmed Khan in Mumbai on Friday and seized marriage records of the last 27 years since 1990. During the scrutiny of the records, it was revealed that in 1992 the head qazi of Mumbai solemnized the marriage of an Omani national with two different girls on a single day. It was also revealed that the qazis had collected amount through western union for conducing marriages.

As reported by DC, preliminary investigation reveals that minimum 15-20 marriages of Hyderabadi girls were solemnized by him and nikahnamas were issued illegally. Around 200 marriage certificates were issued by qazi Fareed every year and in all the cases men were senior to the girls and were foreign nationals. All men were above 50 years, while the women were below 25 years.

The well-organised racket involves middlemen in Hyderabad and those based in Gulf countries, who lure poor families with the promise to pull them out of poverty. The racket continued to thrive with the connivance of the ‘qazis’ who perform such marriages in violation of all rules.